Chapter 16. ePlan Services
ePlan Services is a 401(k) retirement pension service provider based in Denver, Colorado. It’s a technology-driven business, relying heavily on an effective software delivery process. According to Lisa Crispin, an agile tester who works there, they use living documentation to deal with a complex domain and to facilitate the transfer of knowledge both for software development and for business operations.
The business model of the company is to offer services to small employers, which benefit from a cheaper cost of operation, resulting in a significant competitive advantage. Business process automation is a key factor. In 2003, they realized that their software delivery process would have to change to support the business. “We weren’t getting the software out of the door; there were too many problems with the quality,” says Crispin.
The need to deliver a cheaper service and automate their business processes got ePlan Services on a path of improving their software development process, in which they implemented most of the ideas of Specification by Example.